WASHINGTON — Israel's leader says the world must not allow Iran to attain nuclear weapons.

Benjamin Netanyahu's comments Monday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee kicked off his charged visit to Washington. The centerpiece of his trip is an address to Congress Tuesday, which came at the invitation of congressional Republicans and was not coordinated with the White House. He is expected to harshly criticize a looming nuclear deal between the West and Iran.

Netanyahu says Iran is already training, arming and dispatching terrorists on five continents. He says, "Imagine what Iran would do with nuclear weapons."

Netanyahu says that a nuclear-capable Iran would have the means to achieve its stated goal of annihilating Israel.